The unique Stations of the Cross devotion in Melaka

Mar 28, 2014

By Percy D’Cruz
Unlike other church or chapel parishes around Malaysia which promote the Stations of the Cross once a year, this exercise in Malacca is publicly conducted twice annually.

Apart from Lent, the Way of the Cross in Melaka is conducted on three consecutive nights preceding the Feast of the Holy Cross or Santa Cruz, traditionally commemorated on the second Sunday in September at Malim Hill.

The Santa Cruz celebrations over four days culminate with the observance of the feast by thousands of pilgrims both Catholics and non-Christians from all over Malaysia, Singapore and overseas.

At the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday (March 5), the Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Krubong showed an interesting aspect to the Stations of the Cross. The Chapel adopts a nightly presentation with the priest, servers with lighted candles and the lay faithful engaged in a slow walk, kneeling and standing over a 100-metre route.

Life-size reliefs of Christ’s passion journey and crucifixion are affixed along the route, within the Chapel’s park compound, which also encompasses the old ruins now described as a heritage site.

In this manner, the contemplative faithful subscribe to a ‘moving devotional experience’ in the Melaka-Johor Diocese. Conducted weekly after a late evening Eucharist Celebration in the Chapel, the night devotion at Krubong drew a most encouraging response from Catholics residing in Pokok Mangga, Pulau Gadong, Durian Tunggal, Melaka Baru as well as the Krubong township.

According to Fr Peter Ng, the parish priest of Gajah Berang’s St Theresa’s parish, under whose jurisdiction the Guadalupe Chapel lies, the Aztec-style reliefs etched on the slabs are similar to those found on the Stations of the Cross in Mexico City’s Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe designed by local artist Vincent Valdez.